


Rings and Bracelets

by BogAngel



Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: (Luke and Julie are both jealous), (ish not sure this counts), Alex is a good friend, Alex trying his best, Best Friend Pining, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Flynn and Reggie Friendship, Friends to Lovers, Jealousy, Julie and Luke solidarity, M/M, Minor Alex/Willie (Julie and The Phantoms), Mutual Pining, Slow Burn, bonus karaoke at the end, so stay for that, they just need to communicate smh, they're still there and cute tho!!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-17
Updated: 2020-12-17
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:22:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 13,952
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28096104
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BogAngel/pseuds/BogAngel
Summary: Julie and Luke are little concerned about how close Flynn and Reggie are getting. Okay, they were very concerned. They're not  jealous though. No, not at all. It's just two people who care about their best friends and don't want them to get hurt. So, they meddle just a little. Meddling never hurt anyone, right?aka Flynn and Reggie seem to be flirting making Julie and Luke agree to make sure that their best friends don't end up dating for purely platonic (romantic) reasons. Alex is confused about what is going on but tries to help his friends figure themselves out. Mutual pining, angst and fluff ensues!
Relationships: Alex/Willie (Julie and The Phantoms), Flynn/Julie Molina, Luke Patterson/Reggie (Julie and The Phantoms)
Comments: 28
Kudos: 158





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Don't Wanna Let You Love Somebody Else But Me](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26938006) by [evol_love](https://archiveofourown.org/users/evol_love/pseuds/evol_love). 



> Enjoy the fic, babes! This concept was inspired by "Don't Wanna Let You Love Somebody Else But Me" by evol_love on ao3! It's a great fic and y'all should go read it. 
> 
> There are breaks labeled with hearts in some of the chapters indicating a change in scene!

Julie and Flynn were having one of their movie nights together when she first noticed something was different. They were watching High School Musical as a part of their childhood movie marathon when Reggie poofed into the room. 

“Reggie, you’re in front of the screen.” Julie motioned for him to move. 

“Oh, Reggie is here?” Flynn's face visibly lit up, “Want to join us to watch the masterpiece that is High School Musical?” 

Julie watched as Reggie practically leaped onto the couch at the invitation and told Flynn as much, “He’s sprawled out next to you now.” 

“Here you go,” Flynn said as she whipped out her phone, opened the notes app and pushed it in the general direction of Reggie. Upon getting an eyebrow raise from Julie, Flynn simply shrugged and continued shoving handfuls of popcorn in her mouth. 

Reggie typed onto the phone like he had done that multiple times before which confused Julie even more. She knew that the boys passed notes with Flynn but it was rarely casual and only during rehearsal. It seemed like they have done this before but Julie decided to not let it bother her. It’s good if two of the most important people to her can become friends. Even if she thought movie night was just going to be her and Flynn. 

That was the thought process until Flynn basically choked on her popcorn from laughing at something Reggie wrote on the phone.

“Oh my god, you are such an idiot. I cannot believe you,” Flynn said with a huge smile, an obvious adoration in her eyes. 

“Uh, what are you guys laughing about?” Julie commented while forcing a smile on. It was weird being the one who could actually see Reggie and still being the one left out of the loop. 

“Julie, here.” Flynn passed her the notes app and she read a typical, Reggie-esque pun written poorly on her phone. 

Julie forced out a chuckle before handing the phone back to Reggie. Flynn usually rolled her eyes and smiled at her puns. Never has she gotten such a boisterous reaction from making a dumb joke. It didn’t help that Reggie looked so proud and happy that he got her to laugh like that. Julie forced herself to focus on the movie and not the confusing prospect of her best friend flirting with a ghost she couldn’t even see. 

Well, this only worked until she kept noticing them flirting. Flynn seemed so against her thinking Luke was cute but she was flirting with Reggie. It was driving her up the wall even if she didn’t want to admit it. 

\------<3------

Luke was chewing the end of a pencil while staring at the notebook in his lap when Julie entered the studio, an annoyed sigh leaving her lips. 

“What’s wrong, Jules?” Luke asked, pencil still being held precariously between his teeth.

She turned quickly towards him, almost as if she hadn’t noticed him, before sighing once more, “I don’t know?” a pause as Julie scrunched her eyebrows in thought, “I shouldn’t be mad, really, it’s stupid.” 

Luke sat up on the couch and patted the seat next to him, “Hey, hey, it can’t be that stupid. You’re Julie Molina. Basically the smartest girl I know.” 

Julie gave him a small smile before shuffling over to the couch. Luke ruffled her hair before saying, “Okay, you can spill now if you want or we could just jam out.” 

“I just,” she makes indiscernible gestures with her hands before continuing, “have you noticed anything between Flynn and Reggie?” 

“Flynn...and Reggie? I mean I guess they’re like friends now despite the whole, ya know, ghost thing.” 

“Just friends? I mean Flynn is flirting with Reggie, I just know it! They’re always passing notes and, well you know, being all...lovey dovey,” Julie stopped, pursing her lips after realizing that she was getting heated. 

Luke began to think hard about the recent interactions between the two. They had been getting closer and sometimes Reggie would ditch just to hang with Flynn. The pieces started to fit together in his head. Reggie smiling at Flynn, them laughing at notes they would pass during rehearsal, it all started to make sense. He was even sure he had found a few love song lyrics Reggie wrote stuck in his notebook. For some reason, it left an uneasy feeling over Luke that made him feel a little sick. 

“Luke? You okay?” Julie asked, waving her hand in front of his face. 

He broke out of his stupor and shook his head, “Um, uh, well, doesn’t Flynn have a strict ‘no ghosts’ policy? She can’t even see him.” 

“I thought she did,” Julie crossed her arms, mumbling, “but I know what she's like when she has a crush.” 

Luke stood up, suddenly, throwing his hands up in the air, “What if they get hurt, Julie? No way a relationship where one can’t even see the other is gonna work out.” 

“I know right?!” Julie exclaimed in agreement. 

“We gotta do something! This relationship can’t happen. I mean, dude, when Reggie falls, he falls hard. He dated a girl back when we were alive and she totally broke his heart. He was sad for, like, a month!” Luke looked back at Julie to see some hesitancy on her features. 

“Do something? Like what?” She asked, hints of suspicion lacing her voice. 

“Anything, Jules, we can’t let them hurt themselves, right? They’re our friends plus it’d be bad for the band.” Luke said putting his hands on Julie's shoulders to emphasize his point. 

Julie sighed, “Fine, fine, but we can’t let this get out of hand. We’ll just try to make them hang out less and see how that goes. Nothing drastic.” 

“Nothing drastic, got it.” Luke nodded but Julie squinted her eyes at him anyways. 

He squirmed just a little under her scrutiny before giving in, “Okay! Okay, nothing crazy. Stop looking at me like that.” 

Julie gave him a satisfied smirk, “Okay, want to jam out now, Lucas?” 

\------<3-------

Luke was really noticing Reggie and Flynn now that Julie had brought it up. Sure, he had agreed with Julie that they had to make sure that they wouldn’t date but now that he was conscious of it? It rubbed him the wrong way. He wasn’t really sure why but it did. 

So, seeing Reggie grin at Flynn as they type back and forth some secret conversation? Luke could barely focus. Both Julie and him were supposed to be focusing on writing a new song. However, both were more focused on throwing the occasional, frowning glances towards the others. 

Luke sighed before saying, “Okay, so we’re not getting anywhere with this song.”

“Yeah, I can’t think at all,” Julie said in annoyed agreement. 

Flynn let out a bright laugh which made Luke’s eye twitch before he whispered, “Alright, I am going over there.” 

“Julie whisper yelled, “Wait, Luke, what are you gonna do?” 

“I don’t know. I’m winging it?” 

This response did not instill any type of confidence in Julie but Luke started to head over to the two with an unfound amount of confidence. 

“Reg! Don’t mean to steal you away,” yes, he did, “but can you come over here and look at some lyrics. Julie and I are not sure about them.” 

“Sure! Just let me fi-” 

Luke cut him off, “It’s important band business! We need to finish this new song, man.” 

Reggie handed the phone back to Flynn saying bye before letting himself be dragged away. Luke clutched his hand like a life line when he pulled him to where they were writing but he wasn’t exactly complaining. He also didn’t complain when Luke wrapped his arm around his shoulders, pulling him closer as he talked about his ideas on how to finish the song. 

Julie, upon seeing this, headed over to Flynn since she was alone now, “Hey, sorry that Luke had to steal Reggie.”

Flynn shrugged, “Band business, I get it. I am your manager after all.” 

“The best manager,” Julie said, getting Flynn to smile and pat the seat next to her. 

“Oh! I have to mention, there is this cute coffee place that I think you guys could perform at,” Flynn didn’t wait for Julie to sit and instead pulled her down to the couch by her hand. She started to ethistaically show her the place on her phone and describing how they would get the gig. Flynn was still holding her hand and Julie could barely focus on what Flynn was saying. Her focus was only how Flynn’s manicured hands fit into her.

\------<3------

It was only a couple days later when Luke poofed into the garage to see Reggie strumming his bass and singing to Flynn. Reggie had a note stuck to his chest with his name written in bold letters so that she could look in his direction. They both had bright smiles and Flynn was practically giggling. It was adorable. So adorable that it made Luke feel a sickness brewing in his stomach. He walked over to Julie who was sitting at the piano watching the two with a small frown. Alex, who was laying on the piano reading a glossy magazine, vaguely looked up and greeted Luke. 

Luke hits Julie's shoulder and motions for her to follow him across the room. She looks up, sighs but still follows him. Flynn and Reggie are both too preoccupied to really notice the pair but Alex stops reading his magazine to sit up and eye them curiously. 

“You sitting here and doing nothing while,” he gestures unsubtly to the giggling pair, “that is happening was not the plan.” 

“What do you want me to do? Pull her away?” Julie whispered, panicked. 

He gave her an incredulous look before basically pushing her towards the two, “Yes, that is exactly what I want you to do. Now go.” 

Julie almost wanted to hit Luke for making her do the dirty work but headed towards the pair anyways. When Luke started to walk back over to the piano, Alex tried his best to make it seem like he had been reading and not observing his friend's suspicious conversation.

“Hey, besties! Looks like you two are having fun.” Julie started but the nervous, wavy tone in her voice was apparent making her want to sink into the earth. No going back now, she thought in despair. 

“Aw, I’m your bestie?” Reggie said with a soft smile. Julie wanted to punch herself in the face or maybe Luke. Either way, she was punching someone. 

“Of course you are, Reggie. Um, look, I have to talk to Flynn about something like super uber important.” 

Flynn looked at her with concern, “Reggie was gonna play me another song but if you need m-” 

“Great!” Julie exclaimed far too loudly before grabbing Flynn and leading her out of the garage. 

Okay, so maybe Julie was even less prepared than she thought she was. The second she was standing outside, with Flynn looking at her so concerned, every single plausible explanation left her head. 

“Are you okay? What do you want to talk about?” Flynn asked concernedly. 

“Um, right. So, uh,” Julie started off strong, “We need to go to the mall! That’s right, that’s what I wanted to talk about.” 

“The mall?” Flynn asked incredulously, crossing her arms.

“Yup! I need some new, uh, performing costumes and who’s a better shopping partner then my fashionista best friend, am I right?” 

“Julie.” She leveled her a stern look and tapped her foot expectedly. This made Julie deflate immediately and wish that Luke had been the one to split the pair. He knew that Julie wasn’t the best liar especially to Flynn who could read her like a book. 

“Okay, so, that wasn’t the only thing,” She tried again, wincing a bit. 

“Go on,” Flynn said after Julie paused long enough for it to hit her nerves. 

“Um, hm. So, don’t tell the boys but I need some time to be with someone who isn’t a teenage boy or my brother. I wanted to sleep over at your house tonight for, you know,” she grabs Flynn's hands, “a girls night!”

Flynn nodded but squinted her eyes, “That's all?” 

“Yup! I swear that the boys are just driving me nuts,” Julie says, not exactly lying because they truly were acting like obnoxious teenage boys lately. Reggie, bless his heart, keeps leaving her notes like ‘good morning! I didn’t break the vase in the living room xo Reggie’. Luke would sometimes wake her up bright and early on the weekends for band practice by yanking her blankets off. Alex was the most polite of them but he did steal her brother's skateboard to impress his skater boyfriend. Now that she was thinking about it, maybe she did need a break. 

Flynn smiled and squeezed Julie's hands, “Girls night! No more teenage ghost boys who annoy us.” 

“Yes, thank you so much, you’re the literal best. I’ll tell the boys real fast and I can grab my stuff from inside. Wait here,” Julie said while heading back towards the garage. So, maybe she was a little less mad at Luke. A sleepover with her best friend did sound wonderful and, most importantly, no possibility of a ghost boyfriend. Only her and Flynn for the night. She had been missing their one and one hangouts, it almost hurt how little time they spent just the two of them.

Once Julie opened the garage doors, she loudly announced her plans for the night and that she didn’t want to come home to the place on fire. Luke, who was now sitting next to Reggie with his arms draped over his friends shoulders, practically beamed and gave Julie a thumbs up. 

“Have fun, Julie, and tell Flynn I said bye!” Reggie said, waving bye and smiling wide. 

“Yup, bye bye!” Luke added making Julie roll her eyes. 

“Don’t set the house on fire or steal any skateboards!” Julie said, closing the doors. 

“One time!” Alex yelled in an exasperated tone.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lesbianism yee haw boys! enjoy the chapter :) love and appreciate kudos and comments always

Flynn painted Julie's nails purple while talking about the latest problem that she had with Carrie. It was the typical routine for these hangouts when they actually had the time. They would eat junk food, watch the worst episodes of Glee just to make fun of it and then pamper each other. What wasn’t typical was Julie getting distracted by how Flynn’s hands moved or by how shiny her lip gloss was. This wasn’t particularly new as Julie was used to noticing how pretty her friend was, how nice it felt to hold her hand. She always wrote it off as their friendship being comfortable but it was becoming more intense than before. She couldn’t put her finger on why. 

‘Maybe Flynn just looks particularly good today,’ Julie thought trying to push those weird feelings down and focus back into the conversation 

“I mean the audacity of her, am I right?” Flynn finished painting the last nail and looked up at Julie who simply hummed in agreement. 

“Are you even listening to me?” Flynn asked, noticing her friends' far off look. 

“Totally!” Julie claimed far too quickly for it not to be suspicious. 

“Then what did Carrie do?” 

“Umm, something to do with Nick and clothes.” Julie responded, cringing at herself. 

Flynn rolled her eyes but the affectionate grin gave away her fondness, “Your head is really in the clouds today, huh.” 

“You know me,” Julie nervously laughs and points finger guns at her friend. 

“Okay, you don’t do this,” she mimics the finger guns, “unless you’re nervous. What's going on with you? You’ve been acting weird all day.” 

There wasn’t any way that Julie was going to announce that she was having increasingly intruding thoughts about her best friend's lips, but she still felt guilty for lying to Flynn earlier. She always felt bad about lying but this one felt particularly stupid. There wasn’t any reason to try and interfere with their relationship. It was selfish, she knew that, but the thought of Reggie and Flynn together still burned her. It was like a pit of anger opened in her stomach but she had no idea why. They were both just her friends, it made little sense to her.

She sighed and started to pick at a loose string from the bedsheets, “Okay, so you’re probably going to be mad at me.”

“Hmmmm, okay, let me hear it.” Flynn said, raising her eyebrows and crossing her arms. 

“So, I know that it’s dumb. I really shouldn’t have gotten involved but lately you’ve been close with Reggie,” she took another breath, “and I may or may not have made an agreement with Luke to make sure you two don’t date.” 

“Me and Reggie? Date? He’s cute but I don’t know, he’s too much like a puppy to be into.” The shock in her voice didn’t make Julie feel any less stupid. 

“...yeah, like I said it was dumb.” Julie fervently ignored the feeling of relief that swept through her body and instead focused on how foolish she felt. 

There were visible gears turning in Flynn's head, “Like don’t get me wrong, he’s eye candy but still, ya know, dead. Did you forget my no ghost policy or..?” 

“No...I don’t,” she sighed in defeat, “ Luke convinced me to do it.” 

Flynn laughed before jokingly saying, “Was he jealous of me or something?”

“What?” Julie asked, not having expected that response. Gears started turning in her head at the word jealous. 

“I’m kidding...I think,” Flynn thought for a second before shaking her head. 

Julie didn’t respond as she was still thinking about the pit-like feeling that fills her stomach at the thought of her two friends together. Was that jealousy? No, right? She just cared a lot about her best friends feelings and didn’t want them to get hurt. Just because it was similar to the feeling she got back when she liked Nick when he was with Carrie didn’t mean anything, right? Right? 

“Are you okay, Jules?” Flynn asked after an uncomfortable lull in conversation. This garnered no response from Julie who was deep in her own head. 

‘Oh. Oh no,’ Julie thought as the puzzle pieces slotted together in her head. Her being mad, the heavy feeling in her stomach, the satisfaction that came when one of Luke’s stupid plans worked. That was all jealousy. She was jealous of Reggie. She wanted to be the one playing Flynn dumb songs that make her laugh or to leave her notes just to see her smile. The realization hit her like a truck and it almost felt like the breath had been punched out of her lungs. 

The feelings weren’t exactly new but somehow it was so different. Now that she knew that she wanted, it hurt. Hurt like someone had kissed her and left a burn. An ache. She should’ve noticed earlier but now the ache was hitting her all at once. She ached for glossed lips and soft features that were emphasized in dim light. For the comforting memories and ‘practice kisses’ from when they were thirteen. The same person, the same memories in a different, sharper light. 

Julie wanted to kiss her best friend. She wanted to date Flynn. Her _straight_ best friend. 

“Julie?” Flynn asked, concern etched in her features as Julie scrambled to get up. 

“I need to change real fast.” Nervous laughter followed as she attempted to grab her clothes out of her bag as quick as possible and head into the bathroom for refuge. 

“Wait,” The bathroom door slammed behind Julie before Flynn could get out another word. 

Julie stared into the mirror with wide eyes for a while before slumping against the wall in the bathroom. She put her head in her hands as she tried to calm down all the thoughts swarming in her head. She always knew that she was bisexual. This wasn’t a shock but why did it have to be her best friend? Luke would have been an easier choice. A cute choice. Passionate, kind, talented Luke. It just wasn’t like that. She tried and, really, they were still trying. They weren’t dating but they had something going on. A flirtatious friendship is what it could best be described as. However, the actual romance part of it never clicked for her. Guess this was part of the reason why. She almost laughed at how ridiculous this felt. Life was always taking twists and turns just for her. Tears were falling before she could stop them. 

There was a knock on the bathroom door and a soft, “Jules?” 

“Yeah?” Julie replied with a tiny voice. 

“Are you okay? Can I come in?” 

“Um, I don’t know,” Flynn tentatively opened the door at this and turned her head to see a crying Julie sitting on her bathroom floor. 

“Oh, Jules, no,” Flynn said, concerned etched in her features as she went to comfort her friend, “I swear I’m not mad about the Reggie thing. It’s not a big deal. Already forgotten. Brain wiped.” 

Julie laughed at that and tried to wipe the tears off her cheeks, “Good.” 

Wrapping her arms around her friend, Flynn sat next to Julie and played with her hair in hopes of comforting her. 

“That’s not what this is about, is it?” 

Julie nodded and looked down at her hands to see that her nail polish was thoroughly smudged. Another wet laugh escaped her. 

“Do you want to talk about whatever it is? If it’s about Luke I swear I will rekill him.” Flynn grabbed her friends hands and squeezed it. 

“It’s not, promise. If it was about Luke, I would have rekilled him myself. I...don’t really want to talk about it. I’m tired.” 

“Okay,” Flynn responded softly and they sat there in silence as Julie calmed down in her arms. The hug ached but she didn’t really want to let go. Flynn was soft and smelled like lavender. 

Flynn stood up after a while and offered her hand, “Come on then. There is a comfortable bed right outside this very bathroom,” 

Sharing the bed that night left Julie tense and unable to sleep. All she wanted was to hold her close, kiss her moonlight covered face and stay there till the morning came. She knew that doing that was impossible so she lied next to a sleeping Flynn, awake and looking at the glowing stars on the ceiling a little too intensely. They reminded her of when a sleepover ended with practicing kissing at three in the morning. Flynn had pecked her on the lips, too fast to be anything, and they both giggled afterwards like the thirteen year old they were. It didn’t mean anything but the memory left a burning sensation in her chest now. 

Julie snuck out Flynn’s house at six in the morning, leaving a note that said that her dad had wanted her home early. She hoped the boys wouldn’t notice she was home so that she could listen to early 2000s pop and write poetry in peace.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NOTE: Chapter 2 and this chapter happen at the same time - after Julie leaves to sleep over at Flynn's house :)
> 
> again kudos and comments make my day!! enjoy the chapter and the dumbasses that are Luke and Reggie 
> 
> song: What Makes You Beautiful by One Direction

With Julie away at Flynn's house, there wasn’t much for the boys to do because they couldn’t jam unless they wanted Ray to notice the loud rock coming from the garage. Alex had decided to go see Willie which was almost routine for him to do. They weren’t dating (or at least Alex said so) but everyone knew they had something romantic going on. 

So, with Alex gone to find his not-boyfriend, that left Luke and Reggie both in the garage with almost nothing to do. Reggie was scrolling through Julie’s laptop as Luke tried to focus on writing a new song. Reggie knew what most of the stuff did on the computer after asking Julie to teach him so he decided to read random articles that piqued his interest. 

“Luke?” Reggie said looking up from the screen with a frown, “Did you know so many animals were endangered? Cause I sure didn’t.” 

Luke looked up from his notebook and saw the pout on his friends face, “Aw, Reg, I didn’t know that.” 

“And it sucks, man, because all the cool animals are in danger and I can’t do anything about it cause, you know, dead. Like tigers don’t deserve to be endangered.” 

“You are so right, bro,” Reggie smiled at this before Luke walked over to his bandmate to shut the laptop quickly.

“Hey, I wa-” 

“And you know what I think will make both of us feel better?”

Reggie crossed his arms, “What?” 

“If we head to the beach! You know, sit on the pier for a while and feel the salty air on our skin or like the ghost equivalent, I guess. Maybe even play some music? What do you say, baby?” 

A smirk formed of Reggie's lips, “I don’t know, man, I think I was enjoying reading.”

“Oh, come on, Reg. For me?” Luke pulled his best puppy dog eyes even though he knew that Reggie wouldn’t say no either way. Reggie rolled his eyes but nodded anyways, not really able to refuse his best friend anything. Especially when he pulled that face out on him. 

They teleported over the beach with the shining sun and crashing, cool waves that reminded Reggie of when they would busk here back when they were alive. Playing music in the sea breeze, wind in his hair and cheers in the air. The thought was bittersweet so he decided to focus on Luke who was smiling, stretching his arms spread out wide. 

“It is so nice to be out of the garage!” Luke exclaimed, “Let’s go sit on the pier, dude.” 

Luke started to head towards the pier but Reggie stayed behind and listened carefully around him. Someone was blasting music on the beach and he was pretty sure that Julie had this song on one of her playlists on that app Spotty...or something. He wasn’t really sure but it played music and he loved hearing all the songs that came out since 1995. So, he quickly grabbed Luke’s hand and pulled him towards the music with an almost goofy grin on his face. 

“Uh, quick question, where are we going?” 

“Towards the music. I swear Julie showed me this song but I need to get closer.” Reggie explained, still pulling Luke across the beach and through people. They ended up near a group of teenage girls who were all dancing in the sun together. The song sounded boy bandish to Luke. It also sounded familiar but he was more focused on Reggie who looked absolutely delighted. 

“Dude! This is a song from one of Julie's nostalgia playlists on that app she showed me, remember?” he started imitating a girl's voice, trying to emulate Julie, “You can listen to music but only with headphones.” 

“What’s the song called?” Luke asked with a small smile on his face.

Instead of answering Reggie turned rather dramatically towards Luke and started singing at him. Reggie's face suddenly looked far too sincere to be singing these lyrics at him. 

“ _You don't know, oh oh. You don't know you're beautiful._ ” Reggie points at Luke and practically saunters closer and closer until his arms are laid on top of Luke's shoulders. Suddenly Luke couldn’t breathe and he was looking at his bandmate with wide eyes. He told himself that he was not affected by his friend singing stupid boy band lyrics at him. But then why was his heart hammering in his chest? Why were his palms clammy all of sudden? 

“ _If only you saw what I can see,_ ” Reggie moved his hands so that he could hold Luke’s face, “ _You'll understand why I want you so desperately._ ”

Luke closed his eyes for reasons he will not disclose. It was of absolutely no importance, anyways. Not when Reggie chuckled into Luke’s ear before pulling away. 

Luke let out a shuttered breath, opened his eyes and tried to say anything but ‘no, you need to kiss me right now’.

What came out was a simple, “Holy shit.” 

Reggie smirked, patted Luke’s shoulder and simply remarked, “Payback, buddy.” 

Once Luke gathered his bearings, he crossed his arms and almost pouted, “Dude, you are so lucky you can play bass.” 

“And that I’m hot enough to fluster cool, suave Luke Patterson,” He still had the infuriating smirk that Luke almost wanted to slap off or, perhaps, kiss off. He would never say that out loud though.

Luke scoffed, rolling his eyes before fully realizing what Reggie said, “Wait,” a smile curled onto his lips, “You think I’m cool and _suave_?” 

This threw off Reggie's proud demeanor, making him flush before he responded with an unsure shrug, “I mean, yeah, man. You’re like the heartthrob of our band.” 

“ _Heartthrob_?” Luke’s grin was like the Cheshire cat. 

“Y-yeah, you know, the messy hair and the...lack of sleeves.” 

“Oh my god,” Luke let out a pure laugh, “You are adorable.” 

Reggie scrunched his nose at this, “Am not, dude.” 

“Nuh uh, you totally are,” Luke booped Reggie's nose to emphasize his point before grabbing his hand so that they could head towards the pier like he originally planned. Looking at the waves and the reflecting light would take his mind on whatever these feelings are. No need to acknowledge the confusing need to pull Reggie close when he could just take in the familiar sights.

It was nice just sitting there in a comfortable silence looking at the waves. Things had been kind of chaotic, what with almost getting their souls enslaved and what not. So, now they were just looking at the sea and sitting on the edge of the dock like they would have when they were alive. It was weirdly nostalgic despite their lives not being that distant in their memories. It was peaceful. 

Reggie moved and laid down so that he could rest his head on Luke’s lap. He closed his eyes and made a small noise of content. 

“We should do this more often,” Reggie commented lightly. 

“Yea,” Luke almost felt breathless. He wished he could stay right here in this moment for the rest of his afterlife, however long that is. Just him and Reggie stuck in a little piece of time with nothing but soft feelings and touch. As he looked down at Reggie, who had long eyelashes and slightly chapped lips that he hadn’t really noticed before, suddenly that pit-like feeling in his stomach was back. The one he got when he saw Flynn getting to hear all the goofy lyrics that Reggie originally put in his journal. 

“Hey, Reggie, can I ask you something?” Luke started out hesitantly, decidedly looking at the ocean instead of Reggie.

“Mm?” He didn’t open his eyes, content to stay like this as long as possible. 

Luke stayed silent for a little while as he tried to find a subtle way to ask this question, “Um, do you like, I don’t know, have feelings for Flynn?” 

Reggie's eyes popped open and his eyebrows scrunched up, “Feelings for Flynn?”

Scrambling a bit, Luke just shrugged in an attempt to seem nonchalant, “Yea, man, I mean she’s cute, right? Don’t get me wrong, I totally think it's cool if you like her. I just...I don’t know. She can’t see you which must suck.” 

Reggie sat up and turned his body to Luke, “Woah, man, slow down. Flynn is super cute but I’m not into her like that. She’s like...a sister. It would be weird.” 

“A sister.” Luke repeated, trying to ignore how the pit in his stomach was filled with flutters. 

“I don’t think I’m really her type anyway,” Reggie said as he shrugged his shoulders.

Luke snorted, feeling like a weight has been lifted even if he wasn’t entirely sure why. He was sure it was just because the band dynamic was safe. Flynn made a really good manager and he was just worried about losing that, obviously. 

“Aw, Reg, there are plenty of fish in the sea who are into pretty boys who wear leather.” 

“P-pretty boys?” 

“Stupid boys who wear leather,” Luke said, dumbly, in an attempt to pull back that comment. 

“You made fun of me for thinking you’re suave while you think I’m pretty?!” 

“Actually, I think your wording was heartthrob with what? Messy hair and no sleeves?” 

Reggie flushed, “That is so beside the point, dude!” 

“And the point is?” Luke said with too much confidence for the circumstances. 

“I’m not pretty! I’m tough and all that. You know, I wear leather jackets like a cool, tough guy who isn’t _pretty_.” 

In response, Luke leaned towards Reggie and grabbed his chin, pulling his face upwards, “Oh yeah, tough guy. Prove it.” 

Reggie's breath hitched at this and the two of them stared into each others eyes. There was a fire in Luke’s eyes. Luke glanced towards the other boy's lips before looking back at green eyes. There was an undeniable urge, a pull between the two of them. It was always there, that pull. When they sang together or when they jokingly flirted to the point where neither of them knew if the other was being serious. Neither of them knew if this would be another moment where one of them would pull away, laugh and call the other bro. They stayed in this odd limbo for a few seconds before the impulsive part Luke’s brain said ‘fuck it, bros kiss sometimes.’. 

So, he closed the small gap between them. It was chaste, almost tentative, nothing you would expect from Luke. You would expect his kisses to be heated, passionate but this was shy. It was like a first kiss. It was barely a peck as he broke it off quickly.

When he pulled away to see a shocked look on Reggie's face, an immense panic swept through his body causing him to stumble to get up. 

“I-I, oh my god. I have _no_ idea what I was thinking, Jesus, I’m so sorry. That was a mistake.” 

Reggie blinked, still processing what just happened, before taking in Luke's words, “Wait, a mistake?” 

As Reggie tried to get up, Luke, who was still distancing himself by walking backwards, simply uttered a sorry before teleporting out of the scene. 

“Luke, just wai-” Reggie watched him disappear before he could finish his sentence. Quickly, he teleported to the studio where there was no one which he had expected. He almost gave into the urge to cry because what the hell was that? His best friend just kissed him and teleported away. He said it was a _mistake_. 

Reggie tried to push down the hurt so that he could focus on trying to find Luke. He tried all their hangout places and even Luke’s old house but with no luck. He returned to the studio feeling exhausted and, despite not really needing sleep, laid on the couch to close his eyes. Only thoughts of strong arms, chapped lips and panicked eyes floated around in his mind. It ached.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> enjoy!!! i love writing Alex and Willie tbh so hope y'all like it

So, Alex was starting to notice that his bandmates were acting differently from usual. Much differently. Most of it was alarming and he had no clue why which made him even more on edge about it. 

For starters, Reggie and Luke were acting weird and not the typical kind of weird. They would both sneak nervous glances when they thought the other weren't looking. Luke was skittish and was picking up the habit of leaving practice immediately with some vague excuse. Every practice had an underlying tension and Alex had no idea why. Reggie would look disappointed every time Luke left in a hurry but quickly started joking around with Julie or him. When Alex asked him about Luke, he would simply shrug his shoulders and crack a joke about him being with some ghost girl. Even though it was obvious they were both hiding something, Alex didn’t want to push too hard by asking too many questions. All the boys noticed that Julie was boarding herself to her room. They tried cheering her up by doing a little choreographed number but that didn’t really work. Alex, again tried to see what was wrong, but Julie would simply slap on a smile to say that she just needed some alone time and that things were cool.

‘Things are not _cool_ ,’ Alex thought bitterly as he paced back and forth in front of Willie. 

He was trying to explain the situation to his boyfriend but it was coming out as jumbled ideas with pacing rather than a comprehensive list of what was wrong. 

“Okay, babe, you’ve been pacing for the past five minutes and I’m starting to get just a little concerned,” Willie got up from his seat on the bench and put his hands on Alex's shoulders.

“Something weird is going on with the band and none of them are willing to talk to talk to me about it! I mean, it’s driving me nuts, Willie. We’re best friends and we’re supposed to tell each other if something is wrong.” 

Willie winced and said, “Yikes, man. Do you have any idea of what happened?” 

“No!” Alex exclaimed a bit too loudly, “That’s what’s making me so worried. I have no idea what happened and I can’t fix something when I don’t even know what’s wrong and I a-” 

“Hey, hey, breathe,” Willie emphasized his breathing so that Alex could follow along, “It’s going to be okay.” 

Alex calmed down a little bit, sighed and ran his hands through his hair, “But what if it isn't? What am I supposed to do? They’re my family and I can’t stand seeing them like this.” 

“Okay, so what if we did some friendly investigating?” 

“Snooping, you mean?” Alex almost laughed. 

“My preferred term is ‘investigating’ but same dealio.” 

“And how would we ‘investigate’ without invading privacy?” Alex raised his eyebrows and had a small smile. 

“Babe, sometimes drastic problems require drastic solutions.” 

“....wait, Willie, you’re a genius!” 

“Really?” 

“Yes! I should talk to Flynn. She would know what’s going on with Julie, right? And then that’s one problem sort of solved.” 

“Talk to Flynn? Isn’t she a lifer that can’t see you?” Willie asked, trying to keep up with his boyfriend who was already walking away.

“We talk to her through writing. She’s basically our manager and music mixer so we gotta talk somehow,” he grabs Willie’s hand and smiles, “ Anyways, first we go to the garage and get pieces of paper to tape to our chest with our names on it. It’s the system.” 

“...okay?” Willie said before they both poofed into the studio. Alex guessed correctly when he thought that no one would be here. Reggie said he would hang out with Ray and Luke was, again, missing and nowhere to be found. 

What he wasn’t expecting was for Flynn’s head to pop up in the window of the studio before she opened the doors. She wasn’t there with Julie which made it slightly more confusing. Both Alex and Willie looked at each other quizzically as Flynn walked into the middle of the room. 

“Any ghosts here? Reggie?” She crossed her arms and waited for a little bit before clicking her tongue. 

She shook her head and sighed, “This was stupid. I should’ve just gone with the egg idea. Eggs always work.” 

Alex, not really thinking, quickly sprinted towards his drum set and hit one of the cymbals. Flynn yelped but quickly covered her mouth with her hand. 

“Do you want me to get caught out here?! Alex, was that you?” Flynn whispered yelled.

Sprinting across the room again, Alex went to the sticky notes and markers that they had stored around for Flynn. He quickly wrote YES across one and floated it over to her. 

“Okay, Alex, I’m sort of here for some advice. So, I need to ask you a question and you have to promise you’ll be truthful.” 

Alex frowned but wrote down ‘okay :)’ in response. Flynn, in spite of her usual confident nature, shifted her weight between her feet and was messing with the multiple bracelets on her wrist. 

“Julie has been avoiding me for like a week and I have no idea why. Has...has she told you why? You’re kind of my last resort after cornering her and even that didn’t really work.” Flynn frowned as she said it but her expression seemed more hurt than anything. She pulled out her phone, opened the notes app and offered it in the general direction of Alex. 

Alex slowly typed out. ‘She’s been avoiding you? She’s been sad all week but I didn’t know she was avoiding you.’ 

Willie was peering over his shoulder and quietly commented, “You’re a super slow typer, babe.” 

“Shush, you know I’m new at this,” Alex hissed before handing the phone back. He watched as Flynn processed the message, her eyebrows furrowing together. 

“Yea, she’s avoiding me. I’ll try to say hi and she just laughs before making some kind of an excuse to leave. I tried cornering her but she said that she didn’t know what I was talking about,” Flynn took a deep breath to stop her voice from breaking, “I thought we promised that we weren’t going to keep secrets from each other but I guess not.” 

Alex wished that she could see him because he felt horrible not being able to give her a hug. This was awful and he had to get to the bottom of it. Even if it required some ‘investigating’ as Willie would put it. 

‘Hey, it’ll be okay! I can talk to Julie for you if you want :)’ 

“I don’t know,” Flynn sounded exhausted, “I’m just...so worried about her. I just want to know what’s wrong or what I did wrong? I mean, we’ve been friends forever...why would she shut me out for no reason?” 

‘I’m really sorry that I don’t know why Julie is ignoring you but I know she really cares about you. You both really care about each other. She’s in her room if you want to talk.’ 

“That’s the problem, Alex, I’ve tried talking to her and she just doesn’t want to. She looks at me like it hurts like...like it pains her to be around me!” Flynn can feel the tears coming but she takes a deep breath and tries to calm down. She doesn’t want to cry right now. Not only would she be crying in her best friends garage to a ghost but it would ruin her eyeliner. 

She let out a heavy sigh and laughed weakly, “I can’t believe I’m pouring out my feelings to a ghost right now. No offense, Alex, I really appreciate you.”

‘I appreciate you too <3’

“I’m gonna go home now. I..I shouldn’t even be here. I’ll be okay, so don’t worry too much. Nothing more than a couple of sodas can’t fix,” she smiles tightly, waves in the general direction of Alex before quickly heading to the doors of the studio, “Um, bye. Thanks again.” 

“Well, that makes things like ten times more complicated,” Alex said, rubbing his face and massaging his temples. 

Willie pats Alex’s back before saying, “Well, the bright side is that you at least sorta know what’s going on with Julie.” 

Alex looked at him quizzically, “Do I? I mean, if anything that makes things more confusing.” 

In response, Willie just shrugged before saying, “Back when I was alive, I basically did the same thing. Not saying that it’s the same situation but I realized I liked one of my close friends more than just platonically. So, I basically freaked out and just avoided them for like two weeks. Not my proudest moment but it’s kind of like the fight or flight response. Well, except you just choose flight every time.” 

“So...you think Julie realized she liked Flynn more than a friend and then chose flight?” 

“I wouldn’t assume anything but it sounded familiar, that’s all.” 

“Huh,” Alex stared at the wall with the gears turning in his head. 

“Alright, come here.” Willie opened his arms and Alex willingly sunk into his embrace. This didn’t get rid of the intense thinking face but it did make him feel more secure. He could figure this out and cuddle at the same time. They were mutually exclusive.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> some cute Luke and Julie bonding moments! i really like writing these two so enjoy :) oh and comments/kudos are always appreciated!

Julie, doodling intensely in hers sketchbook, was listening to rock music way too loud for it to be healthy. When Luke poofed into her room, she didn’t notice him until he waved his hand in front of the notebook. 

She slammed the notebook shut and turned quickly to him, “Boundaries, Luke!” 

“Yea, yea. I’m sorry, Jules.” Luke took a seat on her bed before running his hands through his hair. 

Julie softened, concern etching in her features, “Are you okay?” 

“Um, yea, yea totally. Do you think we can talk, though?” Julie watched Luke spin the ring on his index finger around and around. 

“Of course. What’s on your mind?” 

“I want to talk about...us, you know?” Julie nodded to indicate for him to go ahead, “So, I really, really like you, Julie, but things have sort of changed for me. Nothing you did or anything like that. I just didn’t want to continue whatever it is that we have going on if I didn’t see you that way anymore. I’m super sorry, you’re so important to me and I love making music with you. It’s just....confusing.” 

Luke was going to continue rambling an explanation until Julie interrupted by saying, “Me too.” 

“Wait, really?” 

“Yeah. I really do love you but not like that, at least anymore. You’re one of the sweetest guys I know but it’s more like we’re partners in music than anything. You know how people say platonic soulmates are a thing? It’s kind of like that.” 

Luke grinned, “Platonic soulmates. Yea, I like the sound of that.” 

“Hug?” Julie opened her arms. 

He nodded, letting her hug him, still not entirely used to Julie being able to even touch him. It was quiet and he felt like he was at home in her arms. Warm and comforting like a soft blanket. 

“Jules, can I tell you something?” Luke said, pulling away but still holding her hand. 

“Of course, Luke. You can always come to me with stuff, you know this.” 

“So...you know how I said that things changed for me. Well, I kind of meant that as in my feelings towards, um, a certain person.” 

“That’s okay by me,” Julie thought for a second before squinting her eyes, “Wait, you’ve never told me of any new ghosts in your life.” 

Luke hesitated for a moment, “They’re a ghost. Just not exactly...new.” 

It was silent in the room as Julie searched his face, trying to put all the pieces together in her head. Luke looked back to his hands and returned to spinning his rings. 

“ _Reggie_?!” Julie exclaimed far too loudly for Luke’s comfort. He winced, almost giving into the urge to poof out of the room, but Julie grabbed his shoulders in something like excitement. All wide eyed with a growing smile. 

“Yup,” Luke curtly said, still watching metal go round and round on his calloused fingers.

Julie, upon seeing this, dampened immediately, “Hey, what’s wrong? It’s okay that you like him.” 

“No, it’s really not, Jules,” he runs his hands through his hair, “I think I’ve already fucked up our relationship with my dumb feelings enough as it is.” 

“...why do you think that?” She rubbed a comforting circle on his back. 

“Uh, well, promise you won’t freak,’ Julie nodded, “I kinda sort of kissed him and we...haven’t talked about it.” 

“You _kissed_ him and haven’t talked about it?” she thought back for a second, “That’s why you guys have been so weird. That’s why you’ve been so weird lately.” 

“I’m just scared, Julie. I mean, I’m going to get rejected. I know that but I don’t want to lose our friendship. We’ve known each other for forever and I can’t lose that. I already know that I’m messing up, I just don’t know how to take it back. It’s too late to take it back.” 

Julie's eyes were soft and they ate at Luke's insides, “You won’t lose him if you talk to him, Luke.” 

In the back of her mind, there was a voice screaming at her for being a hypocrite. She was going through almost the exact same thing and not taking her own advice. She knew she should talk to Flynn. Every time she gathered the courage, it disappeared the second she actually saw her. She ran to make it hurt less. It still hurt. She didn’t want Luke to ache the same way. So, she allowed herself to be hypocrite, just this once. 

Luke sighed, pulling Julie out of her thoughts, “I know, I know. I will talk to him. I have to but... I don’t know. Just scared, I guess.”

“I get that. Being scared to lose a friend like that, I mean.” Julie said quickly, unsure of why she even said it in the first place. 

At her statement, there was a transition between confusion to realization in Luke’s eyes. A kind of compassion dancing in those eyes. An air of mutual understanding settled between them. Both unsure and a little bit scared by their own feelings, but they were going through it together. It was comforting, to not be alone. 

He nudged her, “Hey, is that why you’ve been holed up in here all week?” 

She nods and noncommittally says, “Mostly yeah.” 

“Have you talked about it with them?” Luke was pretty sure Flynn was who Julie had a crush on but didn’t want to make any blatant assumptions. 

Julie let out a groan, “Nope. Not one bit. Luke, I am so screwed.” 

“Nope. I won’t be having any of that talk. I know that the great Julie Molina, the strongest girl I know, can make it through this.” 

This got her to smile, “Well, then, I know that the ever wonderful Luke can make it through this too.”

Luke laughed and stood up. He squatted to meet Julie’s level and tapped her nose with a grin.

“We’ll be okay,” Luke said it like a fact, with the typical Luke brand confidence. 

“We’ll be okay,” Julie repeated, almost laughing a little bit. She had been needing this. 

At least she knew that they had each other and things would be okay because of that.


	6. Chapter 6

Luke typically was a confident person. He would hit on girls back in high school like it was nothing. Big smile, blue eyes and a guitar was usually all he needed. Yet, here he was pacing back and forth in front of the studio trying to gather the courage to even go in. He knew Reggie was in there, headphones in and plugged into Julie's laptop, his eyes closed as he jammed to whatever music was on her Spotify. 

Just as Luke was about to psych himself out, Alex poofed to the driveway. Luke froze before trying to casually divert any attention from what he was doing, “Alex, buddy! Were you with Willie? How’s Willie?” 

“Uh, he’s good but were you just pacing? I thought I was the only one who did that in this friend group.” 

“Nah, I was just...getting my steps in.” 

Alex crossed his arms and gave him a disbelieving look, “Neither of us are good liars but even I can do better than that. What’s going on? And do not say nothing.” 

“But it really is nothing! I was just about to leave actually. Gotta go do things, you know.” 

“Okay, so no.” Alex grabbed Luke’s arm forcefully before walking them into Julie’s house. Luke was being dragged around until he was eventually on the couch in the living room. 

“Ouch, man.” 

“Speak now, Lucas. I have tried to be nice but now I just need answers. This is my last resort before literally reading your song journal.” 

Luke gasped, “That is private property.” 

“I know that, idiot. Now, I am asking this plainly because nothing else has worked. What is going on with you and Reggie? Did you guys get into a fight or something?” 

“Uhhh, not exactly.” 

“What does that mean?” 

Luke opened and closed his mouth before saying, “You know, I don’t think I like being held hostage like this.” 

He tried getting up but was only pushed back onto the couch with a bit too much force by Alex. 

“It’s almost like you guys don’t think I’m going to notice something is up with all of the people I am close to. You and Reggie. Julie and Flynn. You’re all acting weird.”

“Julie and Flynn? How’d you know about that one?” Luke said before thinking about the implications of it. He wanted to transport out but he knew that Alex would hunt him down with vicious efficiency if he did. 

“Flynn came by the garage and... wait...did Julie say something to you about it? I have my theories but-” 

“You have _theories_ , dude?” 

“Of course I do since none of you talk to me, ever,” Alex looked at Luke before gasping, “You totally got me off track. You need to talk or else I’m going to Reggie.” 

“Now, hey, hey. No need to do anything drastic, man, look. I would tell you but I’m pretty sure you would yell at me an-” 

“I won’t yell at you, Luk-” 

“I kissed Reggie.” 

“You what?!” Alex's voice went up by a couple of decibels and Luke winced despite expecting it. 

After a couple of seconds of shocked silence, Alex’s expression softened, “We can go and listen to all the Mariah Carey you want. I know you listen to her when you go through any heartbreak.” 

“ _What?_ I mean, yea, but _what?_ ” 

“I’m guessing the confession didn’t go over well since you guys are practically avoiding each other.” 

Luke rubbed his face and sighed, “Okay, again, don’t be mad when I tell you this. Um, so I kissed Reggie and then I kind of...just left. And we haven’t talked about it.” 

Alex stayed silent and this freaked Luke out more than anything, “Look, I’m trying to build up the courage to talk to him but then I see his stupidly pretty eyes and remember why I’m there and then I freak out, dude, a-” 

“Okay, okay, you’re starting to sound like me so I’m gonna need you to breathe,” Alex did the same emphasized breathing thing that Willie did for him. Luke followed him and calmed down a little. Alex put a comforting hand on his shoulder and sat down next to him so that they could be level, “Luke, we both know Reggie. He’s not going to tear into you. If anything, he's probably more confused and scared to talk to you than anything. Probably more, actually, seeing how non confrontational he is.” 

“So,” Alex pulled Luke up from the couch and started dragging him towards the studio, “Reggie is probably in there doing whatever since he’s not talking to Ray. And you’re going to talk to him.” 

“I’m going to what?” Luke questioned while trying to escape Alex’s weirdly strong grasp.

“Talk to him. Jumping into things is not my style but it is yours. I think the only way you’re gonna do this is if you just do it instead of thinking so hard. You know, Luke style.” 

Before he could do anything about it, Luke found himself in front of the studio, “Hey, I’m not that impulsive.” 

“Sure you aren’t. Anyways, I’ll be right here if things go wrong, not that they will, or if you back out, okay?” 

“Okay! I can do this. Yup, I can totally do this.” Luke said, trying to pump himself up. He went to open the door but quickly turned away, “I cannot do this!” 

“Nope! Less thinking, more talking.” Alex went for the last resort approach, seeing that Luke was really getting into his head, and opened the door to push him in. 

So, there Luke was standing in the garage looking at Reggie, who was looking straight back at him. He fiddled with his ring and shoved his hands in his pocket. Reggie took his headphones out and looked behind Luke, expecting someone else to come into the studio. Luke has avoided being alone with him since the kiss so this was surprising to say the least. 

'No thinking, just talking. Luke style.’ Luke thought before nervously saying, “Hey, Reg, whatcha up to?” 

“Just listening to music, the usual. Uh, what are you up to?” 

“Actually,” Jesus _fuck_ were Reggie’s eyes always so pretty, “I came here to talk. I think we need to do that, yea.” 

Before Luke could even continue, Reggie was speaking, “Look, uh, you don’t have to like formally tell me that you don’t like me like that. I...I kind of got the message when you avoided me for a straight week. It’s okay that you don’t, man...I just want my friend back.” 

“Wait, what?” Luke was thrown off balance, this was not the response he was expecting. Reggie sounded _hurt _. Not the sobbing kind of hurt but the kind where you’re worn down. Where you just accept the hurt after a while. Luke had expected something like anger perhaps. A rejection moreso. Though, he guessed this made some sort of painful sense. Reggie tended to blame himself for anything going wrong. Luke wanted to punch himself in the face.__

__Reggie, confused at this response, tugged nervously on his necklace before chugging forward, “Yeah, we can just forget that the...thing happened. It’s fine, really.”_ _

__Everything spilled out of Luke before he could stop it, “I don’t want to forget that it happened, dude! I think I’m in love with you and it terrifies me. So bad to the point where I ignored you. I thought you’d hate me and here you are trying to say it’s fine. I don’t deserve that, Reg. I don’t deserve you.”_ _

__“...you love me? Like more than a friend?” Reggie pushed out, voice tight._ _

__Luke slumped back into himself, losing the fire as the reality set in, “Yeah. I do, I really do and I understand if you, like, hate me now or if it’s weird. I just had to let you know. I felt like I was going crazy, man.”_ _

__“But...but you said that it was a mistake after you kissed me.” Reggie protested, unsure if he was hearing right._ _

__“God, that was awful. I’m so sorry, I… thought I ruined our relationship so I ran. It was stupid, I’m stupid.”_ _

__Reggie stood up from the couch, not able to make eye contact with Luke, “No, it wasn’t stupid. I just, you scared me, man. I-I thought I lost you and you’re one of the most important people in my life...or afterlife, I guess.”_ _

__“I’m so sorry, Reggie. I shouldn’t have ran...I-” Luke was cut off by Reggie grabbing his hands, softly. His words caught in his throat. Reggie finally looked at Luke’s eyes, an unreadable expression in his eyes. They both searched eachothers eyes, quiet and unsure._ _

__“Just promise me that next time you’ll talk to me. That we’ll both talk to each other. Cause I don’t want to lose this again.” Reggie unconsciously ran a finger over one of Luke’s rings. He got this one for Luke’s sixteenth birthday and he wore it everyday since. It was rundown and simple but his favorite one. A little comforting memory wrapped around his finger all the time._ _

__Luke smiled hesitantly, “Reggie, I promise. I’m really-”_ _

__“Sorry, I know.” Laughing nervously, Luke squeezed Reggie’s hand finding security in the calluses of his fingertips. They stayed quiet for a bit, neither of them sure what the next step was. Luke didn’t know if this meant what he thought it meant. Was Reggie just being nice and this was the way of letting him down gently so that they could stay friends? Reggie was straight, he thought, and maybe they could just continue being friends and Luke could get over it with time._ _

__“Anyways,” Luke pulled his hands from Reggies’ and gave him an awkward pat on the shoulder, “Best friends?”_ _

__“Best friends.” Reggie repeated, confused._ _

__“Cool,” Luke shoved his hands in his pockets._ _

__“Cool?” he repeated after Luke, very confused this time, “Wait, no, this is the part where you’re supposed to like kiss me or did that not come off the way I thought it did? Or, wait, do you not actually like me cause I thought the whole love thing was prett-”_ _

__Luke looked at the other boy, who was full on rambling in his confusion, as the realization that he was a dumbass washed over him, “Reggie.”_ _

__“Yeah?”_ _

__“Shut up a second, yea?” With that Luke kissed Reggie for the second time of their afterlives. Reggie smiled against Luke’s lips and then that feeling was back again. The same kind that they got when they sang together or when they jokingly flirted (or really flirted). A burning, a fire in their cores that stayed and settled until it was comforting, familiar to them. The kiss felt right. Like the fire in their souls was pulling them together to this moment. Like Luke was meant to feel chapped lips against his and for callused fingertips to go in his hair. Dumb country lyrics, the coast and late night writing sessions all wrapping into one rough kiss._ _

__‘Thank God for Alex,’ Luke thought, wistfully as he pulled away._ _

__Reggie smirked, mirth in his eyes, “...so, pretty embarrassing that you had such a major crush on me, babe. I know my charms are, how do you say, hard to resist.”_ _

__Luke rolled his eyes, adoration still there before he kissed him again, softly. Reggie melted under the touch._ _

__“Practically irresistible, Reg.” Luke said, a grin lacing his words._ _


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading my fanfiction and I really hope you've enjoyed it!! there is one more bonus chapter for some fun karaoke and more willex (as they deserve). comments and kudo are always welcome <3
> 
> the song Julie sings in the beginning is She by Dodie!

Julie laid on her bed, earphones in as a soft song played. As she sang along, the lyrics came out gently, “ _I’d never tell, no, I’d never say a word and, oh, it aches but it feels oddly good to hurt._ ” 

She looked at the bracelets on her wrist, most of them made by Flynn as bittersweet overwhelmed her, “ _She smells like lemongrass and sleep. She tastes like apple juice and peach._ ”

“ _You would find her in a polaroid picture and she means everything to me,_ ” she continued, staring into her ceiling. 

“Hey, Julie.” Alex called into the room, an almost guilty look on his face as he leaned through the door. 

Julie froze before taking out her headphones, the song still playing through the speakers, “...Hey, Alex.” 

“Um,” he walked into the room hesitantly, “I heard you singing. I’m really sorry, I didn’t mean to eavesdrop. I just came to ask if you wanted to come to practice with us.” 

“It’s okay, Alex, it’s nothing. Just singing a song.” she tried to explain, though the look on Alex's face told her that he already knew about her feelings.

“Do you want to want to talk about it?” Alex asked gently while sitting on the bed. 

“Talk about what?” She sat up and shifted uncomfortably knowing that Alex saw through her. 

“Well, for starters you’ve been distant lately but, um, I know you’ve been avoiding Flynn.” 

Julie’s eyes widened a little before asking, “How?

“She kind of came to the garage and asked me about you since, um, you aren’t talking to her,” he moved so that Julie and him were sitting side by side, “I don't really know how you’re feeling but I’m here for you. No matter what.” 

“She came here to ask you about me?” Julie asked, stomach twisting with guilt. 

“Yea, she said she was worried about you and that she’s confused. I wasn’t sure if it was okay for me to tell you but I think you should know,” he paused, giving Julie a soft smile before continuing, “Can I offer you my advice?” 

Julie felt a tiny bit mortified but nodded anyways. 

“You should talk to her about what’s going on. I don’t know what it is b-” 

“I like her,” Julie cut off his sentence but Alex wasn’t very surprised by the information. It was more of a confirmation than anything. Alex nodded.

“I... I’m just...I don’t know what to do. She doesn’t feel the same way and I think I just need time to get over it. I know that this isn’t the way to do it but seeing her. It hurts knowing that it won’t be the same.” 

Alex pulled her into a side hug, Julie rested her head on his shoulder, “I know. It’s awful and feels like garbage to be in that situation but you’ll get through it. You’re like the bravest girl I know.” 

She laughed, “I don’t feel brave.” 

“Well, you are whether you like it or not.” Alex responded, a smile on his lips. 

There was a comfortable silence between the two of them before Julie spoke up, “I really am an awful friend. I have to talk to her even if it scares me. She deserves to know that I’m sorry for hurting her.” 

“You’re not awful. You’re just scared about new, confusing feelings. Just have to communicate, that’s all.” 

“Yea,” she nodded, “Thanks, Alex, for this.” 

“No problem. I’m always here for you, Julie.” 

“Same for you,” she smiled before continuing, “Speaking of, how are you and Willie?” 

Alex rolled his eyes before getting off the bed, “You are not turning this around on me. Let’s go practice.” 

“Okay mister ‘we’re not dating but I talk about him all the time’.” 

“We’re not datin-you know what? I’m not indulging you. Come to band practice,” Alex walked out of the room and Julie followed, a smirk on her face.

\-----<3-----

Julie stood around the front of her high school, waiting for Flynn to leave the building as she built up the courage to talk to her. There wasn’t anyone around really other than her. Just her and Reggie who had offered to come along for a pep talk. Flynn was staying in the school late to work on a long term fashion project for one of her classes. It had been a part of her schedule for a while now. Usually, Julie would meet up with her after but that obviously hasn’t been happening lately. 

This was _Flynn_ , there is no reason for her to be this nervous. No major feeling realizations or anything. Okay, so maybe there was a reason but still, this felt so stupid. Julie could do major music performances at a drop of a hat with ghosts but couldn’t talk to her best friend like a normal person? _Stupid_. 

Maybe it didn’t help that Reggie was there trying to give her moral support. He was very sweet in doing so but, somehow, it just made it feel more real. Julie also wasn’t sure how he learned that she even sort of liked Flynn. She supposed that Luke told him and she wasn’t exactly mad at that. It’s not like they could announce to anyone that ‘hey Julie Molina has a big fat crush on her best friend!’. 

Reggie tried giving Julie some pep talk, “Julie, you can do this. I believe in you so much. And I love you more than pizza and that’s saying a lot.” 

Julie smiled and replied, “I love you too.” 

That’s when Flynn left the school building and when Julie’s heart started racing. 

Reggie before transporting out to give them privacy, smiled and squeezed Julie’s shoulder, “You got this.”

She took a deep breath, she could do this. No more scared Julie. It’s fine, superbly fine even. She pocketed her phone, hearing her heart in her ears, and started to head towards Flynn. She could see Flynn’s jaw clench and her stomach dropped but there wasn’t any going back now.

“Hey, Flynn!” Flynn kept walking past Julie, “Uh, wait up! Can we talk?” 

Flynn just kept walking, “Please, hear me out, I’m sorry!” 

She stops walking and turns around to face Julie, posture tight, frown on her lips, “You’re sorry?” 

“Yes, I’ve been a jerk to you, Flynn, more than a jerk and I’m so, so sorry.”

“You actively ignored me for more than a week and that’s all you have to say?” Julie's stomach twisted with guilt.

“No, I...I shouldn’t have done that. I feel awful and can’t even imagine how bad you feel. Best friends don’t do that to each othe-.” 

“Yeah, they don't. Look, Jules,” she looks angry but it’s the hurt brimming in her eyes, threatening to spill over that gets to Julie, “I just...I just want to know why. Did I do something?” 

“No! It’s not you, it was never you, Flynn. I was being stupid and I hurt you in the process and I can’t take that back. I was being so stupid. You’re the most important person in the world to me and I..I _hurt_ you. You don’t have to forgive me but please know that I’m sorry.” Julie opened up her arms as she spoke, ignoring the tears falling so that she could get the words out.

“But why? I just don’t get it, Julie. Please, _please_ don’t lie to me.” 

“I-I can’t,” she couldn't confess the actual truth, “I don’t...I-” 

“Julie, _please_ ,” her voice wasn’t that angry anymore, a broken feeling overtaking it. Julie could barely stand it.

There was no going back now, not really, “I like you, okay?! More than a friend! I’ve tried to get over it, tried to not see you but those feelings aren’t going away.”

There was shocked silence before Flynn tried to respond, “Julie, I-” 

“Don’t say anything, please. I know what you’re going to say. I’m just gonna go, I’m really sorry,” she barely got the sentence out before she started running. She didn’t really know where she was going but it had to be anywhere but there. She thinks that Flynn tried to yell at her to stop but she didn’t notice. The world was blurry. Tears and horror took away her vision. The only thing solid was the impact of her feet on the sidewalk. 

\-----<3-----

She was playing away at her piano, finally having calmed down from crying as she tried to put together a melody when the boys walked in. Reggie was hand in hand with Luke which made Julie feel a stronger loneliness explode in her chest. She was genuinely happy for them but seeing the way that they smiled at each other just reminded her of how much she wished for that. That would never happen, though, that much she knew.

“Hey guys!” Julie tried to come as enthusiastic but it wasn’t working. Her words were choked. 

“Julie?” Reggie asked, concerned, when she looked up with puffy eyes, “Oh no, did it go bad?” 

Alex rushed to hug her, and once he did she just broke again, tears spilling, “Well, I told her my feelings.” 

“She didn’t take it well?” Alex pulled away from the hug to look at her. 

“I-I don’t know. I told her my feelings and I ran. I ran away like a big idiot. What do I even do, guys?” 

The guys all shared a collectively anxious look, trying to come up with something, anything to comfort their friend. 

“We don’t know, Jules, but we’re here for you” Luke paused and took Julie’s hand to squeeze it, “Has she called or texted yet?” 

“I...I don’t actually know. I haven't looked,” She dreaded taking out her phone to see if there were any texts but she still did it anyways. 

The seven missed calls and fifteen texts answered Luke’s question. 

‘ _Julie pls answer your phone we need to talk_ ’ 

‘ _are you okay???_ ’

' _im really worried im going to your house pls be there_ ’ 

“Oh god, oh god. She said she’s coming over here. I need to hide or something!” She stood up frantically from the piano bench, almost tripping in the process and tried to quickly leave the studio. 

“Jules,” Luke put his hands on her shoulders, gently, and looked into her eyes, “This is Flynn, you shouldn’t hide from her. She’s probably angry or confused but she loves you. Take it from me, you guys have to talk things out or nothing is going to get resolved.”

Julie stared at him, silent as her breathing leveled out before she quietly stated, "I feel like I've lost her already." 

"You haven't. She’s coming to talk to you after all. Things might be awkward or different but you haven't lost her. 

She pulled him into a tight hug, "Thank you." 

Reggie and Alex moved into the hug, giving her words of comfort. They stayed in the group hug for a while until they heard knocking on the door. 

"Julie! Julie? Are you in there? Your dad said you were here," Flynn yelled from the other side of the door. 

"I'm here," Julie replied quietly. 

“Can I come in?” Her tone was pleading and worried. It tore into Julie. 

“Yes, you can,” Julie said, looking at the boys and giving them the signal to transport out. This was her battle now. She could do this now. She _had_ to do this now. For herself. For Flynn. It would hurt but it would be okay. It would be _okay_. 

Flynn entered the garage, worry etched into her features, “You’ve...you’ve been crying.”

“Yea, yea, I have,” Julie let out a small, pained laugh, “Before you say anything, I need to say that what I said earlier about liking you...like that. I meant it. You deserve to know that even if you don’t feel the same. I can never say sorry enough for all this.” 

Flynn walked towards Julie as her eyes searched for something. Maybe she was trying to see if this was all just one big, cruel prank. She wasn’t really sure what she was looking for but what she found was Julie standing there, open and vulnerable just for her. 

“How do you know I don’t feel the same?” Flynn asked, finally looking into Julie’s eyes. 

“What?” Julie choked out to make sure she was hearing right. Her head started to spin at the possibilities that come from that response. 

“I asked how you know I don’t feel the same,” Flynn repeated, hesitantly taking Julie’s hand in hers. It was a simple soft touch. One to remind Julie that this was real. 

Julie stared at the hand before looking up, “You...you like boys.” 

“Do...do you remember when I got ditched at homecoming by my date?” Flynn looked down at their hands rather than Julie’s eyes, feeling almost embarrassed. 

“Yea, that guy was awful…why?” Julie responded, confused. 

“And do you remember how I was trying to act cool about it but you saw through that? So, instead of staying at the dance, we went to your house and made cookies. You made me my favorite bracelet while they were in the oven. That night...I realized that boys couldn’t really compare to you. That they never will.” 

She looked for the bracelet with pink and purple interlacing strands among the several lining Flynn’s wrists. That’s the one she was talking about. She remembered carefully braiding it while listening to Flynn talk. She remembered putting it on her wrist and the smile that Flynn gave her. Both of their favorite colors, intertwined and connected. The bracelet was a little worn but Flynn didn’t mind. Julie felt something new bloom in her chest. Hope. That was the feeling. It was hope standing shiny and new.

Julie almost started crying out of happiness and maybe a little bit of disbelief, “So, you’re saying that you like me back?”

“Yes, idiot, I like you.” 

Julie laughed, delighted, “I am so stupid.” 

“Just a little,” Flynn retorted as Julie pulled her into a tight hug. It surprised her a little but she melted into the hug anyways. 

They stayed there for a long while before Julie pulled away. They were close, sharing the same breaths, souls intertwined. 

“What does this mean for us?” Julie asked gently, afraid to break the moment. 

“I was hoping it meant that you wanted to be girlfriends,” Flynn said, hope in her voice. Her eyes were filled with light making them look like they contained the stars just for Julie. Julie almost couldn’t believe it. 

“Girlfriends,” Julie said, trying it out on her tongue before she intertwined their hands, “I like that.” 

Flynn let out a small laugh before they both fell silent. They looked at each other, carefully and gently, navigating what to do next. Julie saw constellations on Flynn’s lips, pictures of life and love, right there in front of her. She was so tired of being scared so she leaned in. It was chaste and soft but enough. They connected foreheads like they’ve done many times before. 

Julie thought of the three am ‘practice’ kiss from when they were thirteen. She almost laughed as she realized that, in the end, they had been practicing for this moment together. She wouldn’t have it any other way.


	8. Chapter 8 (bonus karaoke scene)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is the bonus chapter cause I couldn't resist giving y'all some extra fluff! comments and kudos are encouraged! thank you for reading my silly lil fic I really appreciate it. 
> 
> the songs that they sing in order:   
> Our Song by Taylor Swift   
> I Kissed A Girl by Katy Perry   
> You're the One That I Want from Grease

Alex wasn’t really sure how he was convinced to do karaoke with Willie as his entire band watched. Julie had claimed that it was bonding for all of them and that they had to take advantage of her dad taking Carlos to Legoland for the day.

‘Dust off that old karaoke machine, it’ll be fun’, she had said. He wasn’t sure when his not-boyfriend became a part of the equation though. He especially didn’t know how he agreed to sing _You’re The One That I Want_ with Willie. 

So, now he was sitting there with his leg bouncing up and down as he watched all his friends perform their own songs and waited for his turn. Maybe he didn’t mind the fact that Willie was holding his hand but that's besides the point. 

Reggie and Luke went first to sing Our Song by Taylor Swift. No one was exactly sure how Reggie convinced Luke to sing it but there he was waiting for his turn. 

Reggie smiled wide as he sang, “ _He says baby is something wrong? I say nothing, I was just thinking how we don’t have a song. And he says…_ ” 

Luke rolled his eyes but started singing with a slight twang, “ _Our song is a slamming screen door, sneakin’ out late, tapping on your window. When we’re on the phone and you talk real slow cause it’s late and your mama don't know..._ ”

As they continued alternating parts of the song, Reggie danced a little to the song as he sang and you could see the adoration glittering in Luke’s eyes. He was singing at Reggie, smiling at him like he was the sun, before they got close enough the mic Luke was holding. Reggie abandoned his mic as they sang some of the last lyrics together with as much passion as they would on stage. When they finished, they smiled at each other before Reggie leaned in to peck Luke’s lips. 

“Move over boys, it’s the double troubles time to shine,” Julie said, smiling with her girlfriend's hand in hers. Flynn couldn’t see the boys other than their name tags getting closer and closer as they sang which was honestly hilarious to her. The disembodied singing voices were a little disorienting but otherwise she was having fun. She was more focused on the way Julie shined as she picked out the cheesiest song for them to do anyways. 

As the beginning of I Kissed A Girl by Katy Perry began playing both of the girls started laughing. They were giggling through the whole song but Julie kept going as she grabbed Flynn's hand, “ _Us girls we are so magical. Soft skin, red lips, so kissable. Hard to resist, so touchable..._ ” 

Flynn joined in to sing, “ _Too good to deny it. Ain’t no big deal, it’s innocent. I kissed a girl and I liked it! The taste of her cherry chapstick._ ” 

As the song ended, Julie leaned in to kiss Flynn’s forehead which only made Flynn roll her eyes. 

“It’s I kissed a girl, Julie, you have to actually kiss the girl.” Flynn joked as she looked into Julie’s eyes. Julie laughed before closing the gap between them, both of them smiling into the kiss. 

Watching all his friends kiss after their songs made Alex both happy and nervous. He was happy that they all actually communicated with each other and finally started dating. The nerves, however, came as he thought more and more about the expectations that were now in the air. Was it now expected that he kissed Willie? They hadn’t gone that far yet and this song wasn’t exactly platonic. It's not like he didn’t want to kiss Willie, he really, really did but they weren’t together. They were just like really close friends that cuddled sometimes and, okay, even that sounded a little ridiculous to him but still! Could he just kiss Will-

“Our turn?” Willie asked, breaking Alex out of his stampeding thoughts. 

“Um, yup, yea,” Alex replied, nervously standing up to get his microphone. . 

As the song started, Willie immediately sank into his role, singing with confidence at Alex, “ _I got chills, they're multiplying and I'm losing control. 'Cause the power you're supplying, it's electrifying!_ ”

Alex felt his cheeks heat up as he nervously sang his part, his voice almost choking, “ _You better shape up, 'cause I need a man and my heart is set on you. You better shape up, you better understand. To my heart, I must be true._ ” 

“More sex appeal, Alex!” Luke called from the couch making Reggie snort. 

Alex almost told him to be quiet but stopped because Willie laughed before he started snapping and moving to the music. He moved closer, smiling and singing the lyrics a little too genuinely for Alex’s gay heart to handle. As they sang together, Alex relaxed a little bit as Willie encouraged him to dance a little. They got closer and closer without realizing until they said the last ‘you’re the one that I want’. Once the music from the karaoke machine faded, Willie looked hopefully at Alex who froze. He wanted to kiss him but he wasn’t sure. What if he messed it up? What if he was actually a horrible kisser and no one told him? 

“Um,” Alex nervously mumbled, which was amplified by the mic he hadn’t moved from his mouth, much to his embarrassment. 

“Can I kiss you?” Willie asked gently. 

“Yes!” Alex exclaimed a bit loudly before clearing his throat, “Um, yes, you can.” 

Alex swore that he saw fireworks when Willie finally kissed him. Bright, loud, beautiful fireworks danced in his vision. Suddenly, he wasn't nervous about being a bad kisser anymore. Nothing could ruin this moment for him. Luke and Reggie both started cheering loudly when they kissed. Julie and Flynn both excitedly asked about what was happening since neither could see Willie. It was a bit of an odd experience to watch, especially for Julie who could only see Alex, but they were both still happy for the couple. 

Willie pulled away, still holding Alex closed before he whispered, “Does this mean you want to be my boyfriend?” 

A blushing yet happy Alex nodded before saying, “I would love nothing more.”


End file.
